Marine Special Ops dog handler gets Navy Cross

CAMP PENDLETON – A U.S. Marine Special Operations Search Dog handler Monday received the Navy Cross, the nation's second-highest medal for combat valor.

Sgt. William B. Soutra was presented the Navy Cross from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in a ceremony at the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion at Camp Pendleton. Soutra, 27, from Worcester, Mass., joined the Marine Corps on Sept. 26, 2005, and was honored for his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity against the Taliban" in a 48-hour combat mission in Helmand province that occurred in 2010.

"This is a chance to recognize people that don't get recognized very often," Mabus said at the ceremony. "Marine special operators, most of the time their missions are classified, most of the time we don't hear about them or the amazing actions they take on a day-to-day basis."

The three Marines and the U.S. Navy Corpsman were part of Company B, 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion. The awards recognized them for their actions while conducting a search of 11 compounds with a 90-member Afghan special operations commando during a two-day operation, said Major Jeff Landis, with U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.

The team was caught in the open by heavy machine-gun and small-arms fire from multiple directions. From its exposed position the team directed a counterattack, providing suppressive gunfire and calling in air support to kill a squad of enemy fighters.

The next day the Marines and the Afghan commandos were pinned by an enemy attack that began with the detonation of a roadside bomb that killed an Afghan commando and a Marine element leader and injured another Afghan soldier.

During this time, Soutra and his military dog, Posha, worked to clear a main roadway of bombs and made sure the area was free of additional booby traps. Soutra's unit came under heavy attack, and he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire, leading a 10-man commando unit across 1,100 meters of open terrain to flank the enemy squad. Under his lead, commandos overran the enemy, killed four insurgents and drove the remaining ones away. Posha died about a year ago after getting cancer, Landis said.

Landis said search-dog handlers such as Soutra are often the furthest forward during patrols. They are assigned to look for improvised explosive devices, direct fire and lead commandos out of the kill zone. They also pull wounded to safety, all while continuing to fight enemies.

"Essentially he's the eyes and ears for the team," Landis said. "The dog plays a huge role, too. It's a powerful team of a guy who's highly trained and a multipurpose military canine."